The Kennedy Park presents 2 kind of separate areas, the park itself with its respective attractions and a center for social life around it. It is definitely a center of public life in Miraflores, mostly owing its status to the range of cheaper eateries, international fast food outlets (ubiquitous McDonald's, Burger King, Starbucks, and KFC, among others), bars, coffee houses, and hostels, all of the above attracting younger crowds and backpackers. One of the restaurants, picked as an example, Cafe de la Paz, offers very affordable local cuisine. The most expensive main courses wouldn't exceed the mark of $15, with the sandwiches, burgers, and paninis priced between $6 to $9. Flying Dog hostel (a part of the wider Peruvian chain) offers the rates starting at $12 per night. Now, the park itself, in addition to the beautifully landscaped lush greens and flowers, features two architectural attractions: Iglesia (church) Virgen Milagrosa and Palacio Municipal de Miraflores (Miraflores City Hall). Both buildings are adjacent to each other and look very colonial in style. These appearances are, however, deceiving, for both structures are relatively new additions, with the Virgen Milagrosa church inaugurated in 1939 and the Miraflores City (rather district) Hall unveiled 5 years later, in 1944. There is also a smaller amphitheater in the middle of the park, Amphitheater Chabuca Granda, housing musical and cultural events, with dancing activities prevailing. The famous cat sanctuary used to shelter about 40 cats. We couldn't spot more than 4, but a morning drizzle could be the culprit. The locals tend to think that some secret cruel conspiracy of the local municipality is behind the diminishing number of the lovely felines. Apparently, a local volunteer organization has been providing food and care for the cat community of Kennedy Park. Now there is a certain confusion as far as the park's name is concerned. It is Kennedy Park but it is also June 7th Park. (Actually, it gets even trickier, for a third name is interchangeably used: Parque Central de Miraflores). It is, effectually, both. The second name, given to the park in 1992, commemorates the tragic events of June 7, 1880, the battle of Arica. A part of the Pacific War, still an open wound and a terrible national catastrophe for Peruvians (and Bolivians) after almost 140 years passed, the Battle of Arica was a heroic defence of the southern Peruvian city, over 1,200 to the south of Lima, by a garrison of slightly over thousand Peruvians soldiers fighting the Chilean army of over 5,000 men strong. The Peruvian garrison was commanded by General Francisco Bolognesi, heroically killed in combat. General Bolognesi's memory is widely commemorated in Peru; in Lima there are squares, streets, schools, and monuments dedicated to him. The Battle of Arica was lost and the city is a part of Chile now. Right opposite the Virgen Milagrosa church there is an interesting art installation presenting the indigenous people of Ayacucho region, by Peruvian artist Edgar Antonio Ataucusi Flores; his oeuvre is dedicated to the people of mountainous region of Pirwa, in the Andes. Street vendors offer the local specialties sold from the food carts, the most popular being butifarras (do not mistake it with a popular Catalan dish of fresh or cooked sausage; in Peru, it is a country-style ham sandwiched in a crispy bun) and Champús (a thick fruity dessert made of pineapple, quince, or apple). As everywhere else in Lima, you will be offered many souvenirs, by "vendeurs ambulants", from the sweaters and shawls woven from alpaca or vicuna fur, to llama figurines and standardized pictorial renderings of the city. However, the street sellers are not at all pushy as one would expect. Definitely worth a visit.